


The Gamble

by perfectporcelain (LukasBondevik)



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Deviates From Canon, Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-06
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2018-12-24 19:16:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12019275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LukasBondevik/pseuds/perfectporcelain
Summary: Prince Leo is taken captive to be used as a bargaining chip against his father, King Garon. There is little he finds likable about the handsome thief that has him locked away, though he discovers that with gambles of the heart, someone always loses.Self-indulgent, non-canon, meaningless AU.





	1. The Ante

**Author's Note:**

> I had an idea for this while I was in the shower, and I wanted to write it even though it didn't necessarily fit into canon. Like, at all.
> 
> But hey, whatever.
> 
> You can follow me on Twitter if you like, all I do is talk about Fire Emblem! @porcelain_cos

**Ante**

_A compulsory, minimum opening or starting bet put up by players before each hand._

The cloth against his face was rough and foul smelling, though it did its job of obscuring not only his vision, but his entire face. It blocked out his sense of smell, of direction, and his ability to discern whether he was inside or outside, or if it was daytime or nighttime. His hands were bound painfully against his back, his wrists scraped raw by the rope holding them together and he could feel blood drop down the fingers of one of them, staining into his tunic. Rough hands gripped either of his elbows, forcing him along in a cold area that he could only imagine was made of some kind of stone based on the sound his boots made against the floor.

It was unnaturally smooth, so he could easily assume that he was inside somewhere at the very least, and the hall was wide enough for the three of them to fit abreast without discomfort. While he was not used to being put in a situation such as this, he knew he had to keep his wits about him to make sure he would be able to get out alive. A sudden pause in their step nearly sent him tumbling, but the hands on his arms kept him upright with bruising force, and he had to resist the overwhelming urge to tear away. It would be foolish. There was no way he could know how many people were nearby, he hadn’t any idea where Brynhildr was, and fighting back defenselessly was a death wish. 

A door creaked open, and Leo found himself aggressively carted along again though it was only for a moment before he was shoved down onto a short, flat surface that seemed to be a rather small stool. Though the men released him, he was not foolhardy enough to attempt to run, and waited until whomever had ordered him here showed their face. Leo was no stranger to the many factions of resistance groups that littered around Nohr. When you are one of the strongest sons of the reigning king, you came to expect them, learn about them, and destroy them in turn; crush them under your heel before they gain enough traction to do any harm.

This instance, however, was too little, too late. Leo heard someone hum under their breath, though it was far enough away for him to think he may be hearing things. “Let me see him.” The voice was low and sultry, one that Leo did not recognize, and he felt someone grasp his shoulder before forcefully removing the cloth from around his head. He sucked in a breath of fresh air, free from the putrid smell of the burlap, and took in his bearings as quickly as he could. The architecture was older, the brickwork laid in a way that narrowed down his location substantially, as only the older mansions and castles of Nohr were made in this way.

His dark eyes flicked to the window, and he saw a long, grassy knoll immediately outside with an archaic windmill atop, though the blades were torn and falling apart. The mill seemed to be empty, perhaps for many years, and Leo was able to glance out one more window on the other side and catch a quick glimpse of a long stretch of flat, dead land outside before someone grasped his hair, forcing him to face forward. “The illustrious Prince Leo,” the same voice said in a mocking manner, the heavy sound of his boots sounding from a shadow at the edge of the room that was slowly becoming encompassed in darkness. He could make out some of his clothes, though the face was still shrouded and the voice was still a mystery to him.

Leather boots, worn in places from much use, clung to the man’s legs up past his knee, where striped pants were encompassed nearly completely by a dark blue cloak. The edges were frayed and falling apart, and he could see a quiver of arrows strapped around the person’s waist and a rather fine bow hanging from his back. He could not make out any more than that, as the man had stopped walking towards him and would not reveal his face. But Leo knew that he was in the presence of some kind of dangerous criminal, someone who was stupid enough to kidnap a Prince of Nohr and manage to succeed. He needed to be careful, as this man was no ordinary outlaw, and he chose not to reply as he kept his head up as proudly as he could. Leo would not be intimidated.

The silence lingered for a moment before the man’s boots sounded again, moving out of the shadow finally and into Leo’s view in the falling sunlight. Leo took in as much as he could remember, in case he would have to describe the man later if he got out of this situation alive. His skin was dark and helped his stark white hair stand out against his face. He wore a black eyepatch on his right eye, though the other was a cold blue that was focused on Leo intently. His mouth was skewed into a humorless half smile and his arms crossed over his bared chest. All of that information was filed away carefully into Leo’s mind as he stared unabashedly at the man’s face, burning it into his memory. 

_The windmill on the hill, archaic Nohrian architecture, grassy field, white haired archer with dark skin._ That seemed to be everything that would be useful information for the future, and the man had reached a point directly before Leo once he had finished processing that information. He was tall and broad, though Leo wondered if he just had a bad vantage point from where he sat on the low stool. The man knelt down before Leo, waiving his hand casually at the person behind him who finally released the vice grip on his hair. “You’ve brought me all this way just to kneel before me,” Leo said flatly, no humor in his voice though he found some irony in the situation.

Against his expectation, the man reacted with a short bark of laughter, his mouth curled up in genuine mirth as he reached forward to grasp at Leo’s chin. His hands were warm and callous against Leo’s face, and he ran his thumb across the prince’s mouth deftly and with no sign of hesitation. “You really are quite a surprise, Milord,” he said coolly, as Leo remained still in his hand, keeping his expression neutral and unaffected. The white haired man stood as released his face, taking a step back and placing on hand against his hip. “My name is Niles.”

“And to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Niles?” Leo found himself surprisingly calm given the circumstances though it did not stop him from trying to loosen the rope that was biting painfully into his wrists. He was certain the white tunic that he wore was unsalvageable, though perhaps his entire life was forfeit at this point and it would be absurd to be worrying about a piece of clothing. Niles’ humorless smile was still painted on his face, his eye still trained on Leo as he remained silent for a moment. With one deft movement, his hand darted to his belt and a knife flashed before Leo’s eyes as Niles twirled it between his fingers.

He said, “Let us talk plainly.” He reached out and grasped Leo’s shirt, tugging him forward and he saw his other hand dart around Leo. His breath caught in his throat as he waited for pain, a knife between his ribs or in his back, but he heard a dull thud and his hands were freed from the rope. One of them was bleeding as badly as he suspected and the other was still whole, though the skin was dark red from the friction. A hand still in Leo’s tunic, Niles lifted him from his seat and released the cloth, waving away the rest of the guards from the room. “Go on,” he ordered, beginning to light candles around the hall as the sun faded past the horizon. 

Much to Leo’s surprise they acquiesced, and he glanced around for a moment long enough to see the door shut behind whoever was in the room. Well, it didn’t matter if he didn’t see their faces. Niles was obviously in charge, and if his family’s wrath needed to befall someone, he would be first in line. “For this conversation to occur, it would be necessary for you to initiate it,” Leo finally stated when Niles said nothing, fixing his tunic that had been tugged askew and pressing a sleeve to his bleeding wrist. Hopefully he could calm flow enough to stop it, because he needed nothing to distract him if he were to escape from this place as soon as he could.

Niles moved towards him quickly and Leo stepped back, a thousand thoughts spinning through his head at the same time trying to decide how to best defend himself. Before he could move, the callous fingers were against his skin again, taking his hand and examining the damage on his wrist. “True,” he replied as if nothing strange had happened. Leo allowed him to look at his skin though he didn’t know what to say, his eyes watching Niles’ for some kind of sign. He released Leo’s hand and tossed a roll of bandages towards him from the table. Leo nearly dropped them. “To speak as plainly as necessary given the circumstances, Prince Leo, you are our hostage.”

“That much is clear,” he bit back, the bandages still clenched in his hand. He could almost roll his eyes at the absurdly obvious statement. “What are your demands? What are you looking to accomplish by taking me captive?” Niles watched him with that frustrating half smile, his head tilted with white hair falling into his face.

“My, my, someone is a little forceful, aren’t they?” Leo did not appreciate the suggestive tone that Niles’ voice took as he grasped the hand that still held the bandages, holding Leo’s arm against his chest as he leaned in close to his face. It was vaguely flustering, though Leo was too angry to feel anything but overwhelming hatred for this man. Niles was dangerously close to Leo, their noses nearly touching as he held the prince in place, his fingers digging into the sore skin of his wrist. “Don’t act like you’re the one in charge here, little Prince. You’re only alive out of the goodness of my heart, please act accordingly.” 

With a loud scoff Leo tore his hand away, ignoring the pain and snapping back, “It’s intriguing how you expect to feed me those lies and I will accept it without question. If you wanted me dead, I would be dead.” His voice was venomous and he took a step back from Niles as he tossed the bandages back at him without any real effort. He caught it easily. “No, you believe a Prince of Nohr is more valuable alive as a bargaining chip. And you believe I am worthless to you as a corpse. So, if you please, no more games. What is it you want?” Niles looked amused, his arms crossed over his chest once again as he regarded Leo well after he had finished speaking.

“Very observant. Rumors of your intelligence are not exaggerated.” Leo flushed, a slew of emotions running through him all at the same time as he struggled to maintain his composure. This man was playing him and he was not going to be a part of the game. He remained quiet, his mouth pressed into a line of anger that would have been acted upon had he been in possession of Brynhildr. “Very well, my liege,” he said, every epithet laced with sarcasm as he bowed exaggeratedly towards Leo. “You are a bargaining chip, a very important one. Taking you was the final piece in the puzzle, and we will use you to get your father the king to give us what we want.”

He spat, “What do you think the second son of the king would get you?” Xander was next in line for the throne, and after him was Camilla. Leo’s death or life would not affect the kingdom’s monarchy in any way, and he knew that his death or life would not affect King Garon either. “My father will not weep over my death nor will you get what you want. Your bargaining chip will prove a gamble that you will lose.” The words were bitter on his tongue and he forced the sharp contrast of his emotions settling into a cold visage of control from the fiery anger he felt seconds before. For the first time since their initial meeting, Niles’ face had not twisted into some kind of devilish smile. A frown crossed his features, and he grabbed Leo’s upper arm so tightly he thought it was going to break.

“We will see about that.”


	2. The Bluff

**Bluff**

_A wager made with a weak hand often intended to entice other players to fold. Bluffers have little or no chance of winning a showdown._

Leo laid on the cot in his cell with an arm over his eyes, leaning back against the flat, hard pillow as he contemplated his situation objectively. He was in some kind of building, possibly an older stone castle that had been abandoned that the thieves had taken up refuge in. He had no weapon, no horse, and no ally, just the clothes on his back and the head on his shoulders. It honestly was not very good odds, and there was no way for him to tell his family where he was or where to save him. Things seemed dire and Leo couldn’t even bring himself to sleep for fear of being attacked when he was most vulnerable. It did not seem like there were other prisoners either, that he could band together and work something through. Just him, alone in this cell with nothing to do.

It was dark inside the cell though he could tell through the high window that it was growing light outside. The night had crawled by without Leo sleeping at all, though not for lack of trying. All he had was his thoughts scrambled inside of his head, all focusing on what led up to this, and then on Niles. The man dragged Leo clear across the castle in the dead of night, his grip bruising his arm as he tossed him in the cell and locked him in. They had not said a word to each other the entire trip there, and even once he had locked Leo inside, Niles gave him nothing but a passing smile before fading into the darkness of the castle.

After that, there was silence.

Sticky blood clung to his wrist, and the tunic stuck to his back as he tried to fix his clothes. He could think of several people he would willing kill for a hot bath, Niles himself at the top of the list as his current captor and major inconvenience to his regularly scheduled life. Leo wondered how long it would take him to realize that what Leo had said was true, and either kill him or just let him go. Self-deprecation was not pretty on anyone, but his evaluation of his words was based more in truth than pity for himself. It was true. King Garon, allowing a massacre in his own home for divine weapons, the loss of Leo would not affect him in the slightest.

Besides, Xander was going to be king once their father passed, and there was no chance of Leo ever being bestowed the crown unless something happened to Camilla and Xander. He was, effectively, useless. He presumed that Niles understood that, and would have to rethink his strategy to wring whatever prize out of Garon that he was looking for. His own fate, however, was unknown. It was unlikely that Leo would simply just walk free after all the effort he was sure they went through to kidnap him, and yet what point would there be to kill him? His father would likely rain terror down upon them, but he would never give them what they wanted, regardless of Leo’s life.

“I see you’re awake.” The voice startled him and he sat up quickly on the cot, seeing Niles standing before his cell twirling a ring of keys around his finger. They jingled finely against each other as they spun, and Leo narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he watched the man before him. “Sleep well?”

“What is your definition of ‘well’?” Niles simply laughed and Leo wanted nothing more than to find Brynhildr so he could give him a fight he would not soon forget. But currently, the man was armed with at least one knife and his arrows, and Leo was completely vulnerable outside of his armor and with no tome. The only weapon available to him was his words, though it seemed to do nothing more than amuse Niles rather than intimidate him. Even he had to admit that he did not necessarily cut a threatening figure when stripped of his power.

Niles responded, slipping a key into the cell door, “You seem to be well enough to lash that silver tongue at me. Though I can guarantee there are other, better uses for such a talented mouth.” For a moment Leo was confused, before he understood and felt heat rise in the back of his neck at the meaning behind the words. The cell door creaked as it opened and Niles stepped inside rather than allowing Leo to step out. It was easier to catch the features of Niles’s face in this lighting, such as the angle of his jaw as he tilted his head to watch Leo looking for all the world like an animal surveying its next snack. His skin was smooth, a dark contrast to his pure white hair, and he could see in the gap of his tunic angled muscles below sharp collarbones.

“I imagine you are not here to see me off safely to Castle Krakenberg,” he mentioned weakly, as Niles backed him further into the cell, walking slowly but with deliberate, heavy steps until Leo’s back hit the cold stone wall. He kept his expression fierce and stern, though Niles was a wildcard that he could not read or predict. He placed his elbows on either side of Leo’s head, his hair brushing the prince’s cheek and his breath hot on the side of his neck. Niles’ chest was pressed against his own, and the intimacy of the situation was bewildering and flustering to him. “Are you ill?” he asked, trying to break the silence, trying to find some answers to his behavior. 

He felt the shaking of Niles’ chest as he laughed. “Honestly, I must be,” he replied, and Leo felt a warm, soft pair of lips press purposely against his neck, trailing from his jaw down his throat to his collarbone. The sensation sent a shock through his chest and he jerked away, ducking under Niles’ arm and nearly tripping over himself as he stopped several feet away. Niles still faced where Leo had been, his hands clenched against the stone for a moment before he turned to look at the prince, one hand still lingering. The shock was still bouncing around in his chest, and he felt his stomach turn over several times at the way Niles was staring at him.

“What are you doing?” Leo demanded, pressing a hand against his neck as he took another step away from Niles. The man seemed distracted as he did not answer immediately, and Leo suddenly realized that the cell door was wide open and he was closer to the door than Niles was to him. Without a second thought, he ran, no other qualms in his mind outside of the overwhelming desire to simply get out of there. His boots echoed off the stone, though it seemed it was early enough in the morning that no one was about. It was a relief as he found himself at a large flight of stone steps, though his ears strained to hear any indication of Niles chasing behind him with no success.

Biting his lip, Leo took the stairs two at a time, resisting the urge to look behind him for his captor as he reached the tall, wooden door. His wrists still ached from the ropes, but there was no time to think as he shoved all his bodyweight against the door as hard as he could muster. It creaked easily under the force, and he managed to open it enough to slide his way through into the hall. Before he could move another step, there was a strong grip on his shirt and he felt himself dragged back. “Where d’ya think you’re goin’?” a gruff voice asked, and he struggled to see that the person who had caught him wasn’t Niles.

The man was one of many nameless thugs that seemed to be in Niles’ employ, though drastically less able and intelligent than his leader seemed to be. Leo tugged loose from his grip, turning around with an unsteady step as black spots burst into his eyes from the jerking movement. He felt weak, but he couldn’t stop here, not when he was so close to freedom. “I was…” he hesitated, stealing another step back away. “Looking for something to eat. I am famished.” It was a pathetic lie, but he hoped that this sentry did not see through it easily. 

“I thought they were bringin’ ya your food,” the man grumbled, his voice sounding uncertain as he watched Leo from under a canopy of greasy red hair. Leo tried to avoid staring at the large broadsword that was against his hip, though it was difficult not to imagine what would happen if the man were to discover his ruse.

Leo smiled, his hands before him in a peaceful gesture. “I suppose that you were misinformed. I greatly appreciate your concern, but I will be taking my leave.” He did not hesitate again as he burst forward from the spot, his limbs feeling like jelly but he could not bring himself to stall any longer. Things were too dire, and he needed to get home immediately. He hurried down another flight of stairs, jumping the banister to the lower level and darting into a dark cranny underneath. He could feel cobwebs against his skin and hair, but it was the safest spot he had been able to find since escaping his cell.

He stopped to catch his breath, a hand pressed against the wall as he leaned over, gasping. The castle was large, and Leo was starting to realize that he was not only lost, but losing too much energy to be able to continue much longer. Slowly, he edged towards the open end of the cranny, carefully peeking out to see if there was anyone nearby. Immediately, he saw nothing, but as he started to move out, he heard several sets of boots sounding down the stairs that he had just hidden under. Quickly as he could, Leo rushed back into the far end of the cranny, keeping an eye out for the group of outlaws.

“…that bastard Niles doesn’t seem to know anything,” one of them said conversationally, and raucous laughter could be heard amongst the group. It sounded like at least five individuals, but Leo could only catch glimpses of their clothes or hair as they moved into his line of sight. “Once we get rid of him, the prince’ll be all ours and we can get his shit father to do whatever we want.”

Someone sneered, “Right, we don’t need him to take all the money we’re gonna get from this. I don’t care if it was his idea, taking 50% an’ handin’ out the rest is basically stealin’ from us.” There was murmurs of agreement amongst the group, and Leo felt his shoulders tense. They were plotting against Niles? Something in him told him he shouldn’t care, but could he just leave the man to die? He owed Niles no favors, the man meant nothing to him, and yet… he knew, now. The feeling of Niles’ lips on his neck sent goosebumps across his arms and he should his head, trying to clear it. The men had already moved on and the atrium was quiet once again.

With a sigh, he knew that he could not stay. He would not keep himself in jeopardy to help a common thief who had kidnapped him, and certainly not one as despicable as Niles.

Before he could move however, a strong arm wrapped tightly around his waist and a hand was pressed against his mouth so he could not speak. “Milord.” The sarcastic tone was easily identifiable, and Leo grunted loudly against the hand muting his words. Niles tugged him back further into the darkness and released him for a moment before gripping his shoulders and slamming him against the wall. “While I rather like the looks of this, it is under quite unfortunate circumstances that don’t bring much pleasure,” Niles mused, holding Leo’s wrists above his head with one hand and his other holding the prince’s chin.

He flushed, embarrassment rising across his cheeks but stood firm, his eyes narrowed. “I wonder if you would be so carefree if you were aware of what your men are doing behind your back.” The quip was mostly intended to wound Niles, but the man’s amused expression suddenly dropped into a concerned one as he regarded Leo with mild confusion. “I’m rather glad to get your attention with a subject that is not me.”

“Explain yourself,” he replied shortly, and Leo was suddenly aware that Niles was no longer jovial but tense, his fingers digging into Leo’s wrists and face unforgivingly. He tugged his chin away from his hands and gathered his wits about him for a moment. It was becoming increasingly aware how the toll this was taking on his body, but he could not show weakness.

Leo said, “I could not tell you who, but I managed to overhear several of your men plotting amongst themselves about how they were going to kill you and take all of the wealth you will receive from my capture for themselves.” Niles said nothing, though his eye looked away from Leo momentarily as he contemplated his words carefully. “One of them mentioned how you ‘taking half’ and distributing the remainder amongst the rest was ‘practically stealing,’” he added for good measure, in case Niles had reason to doubt his words.

That did seem to capture his attention. “Interesting,” he breathed, still somewhat distracted by Leo’s claim. Whether he chose to believe him was his own business, Leo mused, but he was not going to allow this change in their situation affect his desire to be released.

“Why not just let me go? I am worthless to you,” Leo said, his voice hushed. He was too weak to try to escape from Niles’ grip, but he did not want the man to be aware of that; any advantage he could get would be beneficial to his cause. For a moment Niles’ gaze darted away from Leo towards the opening and he sighed deeply, his grasp loosening very lightly on Leo’s injured wrists.

“Little Prince, listen to me carefully.” Niles’ tone was low and Leo could barely hear what he was saying and he leaned his head in to listen, his burgundy eyes lowered to Niles’ mouth to try to understand. “Right now, if what you say is true, you are only alive because everyone else believes in your worth as a prisoner, and if they want the glory for themselves, that renders my leadership rather… unnecessary. I cannot protect you alone if they discover that you are useless to them.” Leo could not keep a faint intake of breath at the words, and his eyes caught back with Niles’ blue one immediately before him.

His hands were then freed but Leo did not run, trying to process all this information. “What does that mean at this junction then?” he asked cautiously. Against his better judgment, something in him was trying to trust this man, though, he argued with himself, he had little choice. Niles glanced around again, and reached out to take Leo’s arm in his hand. 

“I am not taking you back to the dungeons,” he said as Leo attempted to fight from him. He stopped, suspiciously, and Niles loosened his hand but did not let go. “For now, you will stay in my quarters. I see no other way to keep you out of harm’s way.”

“Harm?”

Niles smiled darkly. “We will talk when it is safe to. Follow me and, while I never thought I’d say this, try to behave yourself.” Leo frowned at the admonishment but obeyed without argument, allowing Niles to tote him along the various halls and finally, to a large ornate door not unlike the one that was the entrance to where he spent the night. Niles pushed it open with ease, and motioned for Leo to walk through first. He closed it behind them.


	3. The Base Deal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted to get this chapter out today, it's been pretty much done for a while I just needed to finish editing it. I hope you enjoy it!

**Base Deal**  

_Dealing from the bottom of the deck. A form of cheating._

“I have never known a man to read so much as you.” The sentence was the first that Leo had heard from Niles that was not laced with either innuendo or sarcasm, and it took him by surprise. After his first night in the dungeons, Leo had spent the next several days in Niles’ room, but as far as he knew the man did not sleep in there himself. The stone was crumbling with age, though the furniture inside, while dusty from neglect, was still in good enough condition to be usable. He was lounging on the mattress in the cracked and dented steel bedframe, in a set of Niles’ bedclothes that were much cleaner than the clothes he had been wearing after his capture. They were large on him, but comfortable.

After completing the sentence he had been reading, Leo turned to Niles with an arched eyebrow, his voice amused. “You must not have known many educated men then,” he mentioned offhandedly, closing the book with a small sheet of paper between the pages to hold his spot. Niles snorted and tossed a roll of bread and a hunk of cheese at Leo, who allowed it to land in his lap before he placed the book down beside him.

With a grin, Niles replied, “Do I seem like the type that would?”

“Touché.”

The last several days had been peaceful, all things considered, though Leo had little else to do while locked up inside of Niles’ room than read and sit around waiting for something to happen. The man did not provide much else outside of food, water, and the frequent saucy comment. Despite his desire to know, Leo did not bring up Niles’ actions in the cell and neither did he. He also did not attempt to do anything further to Leo, much to his relief. However, when the man had shown up after the second day of listening to Leo complain about unending boredom with a stack of worn tomes, much of his annoyance with Niles melted away.

While Leo was not able to freely traverse the castle on his own, Niles would come back nightly with fresh reading material for him from the decrepit library. Several days of seeking out new books had made Niles an expert at picking out excellent choices, and Leo found himself exceedingly impressed by his ingenuity with choosing titles. For the most part. “This is another manual,” he said with a chuckle, placing the book that he had skipped through the night before in a pile of rejects.

“But think of the practicality,” Niles responded in mock earnestness, lifting up the tome and examining the first page with interested, his eye skimming the first several lines. “Should you not be aware of how to reshoe a horse, little Prince? Or do you have servants to assist you?” He was growing less annoyed with the disrespectful tone Niles took with the diminutive title, but chose not to address the question as he began to eat the provisions that he was brought. He’d been able to bathe (in ice cold water), eat (small rations fit for a soldier), and wear fresh clothes (that were only a couple of weeks dirty, Niles had laughed), and feel relatively human again following his nights of captivity. While the situation was still not ideal, it was better than being locked away in a damp dungeon until their plan unfolded.

It was a strange situation, as Leo sat at the head of the bed leaning back against the headboard, one knee pulled to his chest as he watched Niles’ white hair gleam in the moonlight. Niles was on the ground against the edge of the mattress, hunched over his legs in an oddly vulnerable position. His expression grew solemn, perhaps one of the rare times Leo had experienced it in their short time together. How many days had it been? Five, six? He had lost count as they began to blend together, though something seemed awry with the way Niles grew rather grave. “What’s happened?” Leo asked, his voice hushed in concern.

His voice was low as he replied, the words spilling forth hurriedly as his eye darted to the door. “We sent a letter today to your family, though it was not drafted by me.” Leo sucked in a breath and nodded slowly, certain that was to bring some kind of retribution to their camp. “I do not know the contents, outside of the fools giving away our location, and I did not ask. At this point, it will be a waiting game to see who is sent to pick you up and when. There will be a fight, and there are several hundred men here waiting to get a prize for your ‘safe’ return.” Niles’ voice sneered on the word, disgust for those who were previously his comrades apparent on his face.

Leo placed a hand against his chin thoughtfully, lowering his leg from his chest to stretch across the bed comfortably. “I can’t imagine what sort of convoy they will send for this retrieval. Perhaps a standard battalion, if they do not expect much of a fight.” Niles watched him silently though Leo was not paying much attention, his brow furrowed darkly. Who would they send? As much as he wished they would bring Xander or Camilla with an army at their backs, it would be a waste of resources and foolhardy for something such as this. Leo was not worth the effort or the cost of such a venture.

There was a moment of silence. “Do you not think you are worth all of the armies in Nohr to rescue?” Niles asked quietly, his face unreadable in the darkness. He had shed his cape, and his tunic was tight against his arms and chest, as if it had been intentionally made a size too small for him. It was difficult not to stare and Leo forced his gaze away from the man’s face to look out the window. Even now, he did not know what to say.

“You are quite lost in thought, Prince Leo.” Niles’ voice brought him back to the present and he looked up from the bedsheets that were tangled around his waist to meet the man’s eye. The situation was odd, and the way that it had unfolded was even more so; here Leo sat with a strange man, in that man’s bed no less, the very man who had ordered and constructed a plan to have him kidnapped for ransom, and having plain, polite conversation. Even friendly conversation.

“Will you fight with them?” The question escaped his lips without thought and a warm flush crept up his cheeks in embarrassment. What a foolish thing to ask. Niles watched him curiously before edging closer across the mattress, his hand inches from Leo’s own. The motion set him on edge and he tensed against the bedframe as Niles smiled knowingly at him.

Brushing hair from Leo’s face, he teased, “Will you worry, milord? About poor, little Niles?” Leo glared at him and knocked his hand away in annoyance, causing Niles to laugh shortly. It sounded strained, though he could not fathom why, and the man leaned back away from him. “If given the opportunity, I would gladly remove myself from the situation without a second thought. There is no need to provide them with my support now, given the circumstances.” Leo nodded in response, moving to tuck his legs underneath him in a more comfortable sitting position and filling his hands with his food to give himself something distracting to do.

Niles watched him patiently, the warm of his hand still close to Leo’s thigh as the candlelight flickered on his dark skin. The last several nights spent with him after his watch had been oddly content, in a way that Leo could almost forget where he was and relax with a book in hand and Niles’ leaning up against the bed on the floor by his side. Sometimes they didn’t speak, and kept each other company through the cold nights until Leo fell asleep and awoke in the room alone. It had become their nightly ritual of sorts, and in a time of uncertainty, it was comforting.

After swallowing the last bite, Leo said with honesty, “I cannot guarantee your safety should battle befall this castle. You did construct the plan to have me taken from the capital, executed it, and continue to abide by it even now. What do you expect to accomplish at this point?” Leo turned his gaze back to Niles, who was not meeting his eyes and left the room in a deafening silence. Whether he was thinking or simply not choosing to answer at all, he could not tell, but he found himself impatient to resolve the issues that were brewing in his mind. “Niles, we can avoid bloodshed, we can avoid death, if you just let me go now. I will even help you escape, if you wish. I can secure you safe passage to the capital and avoid execution by my father.”

“How do you expect to leave the castle without confrontation?” Niles said, his voice amused. “Even for you, Prince Leo, with your exceptional mind, this may prove impossible.”

Leo laughed humorlessly. “You would be surprised what my mind can do.”

“What about the rest of you?” Niles asked, a sensual half-smile encompassing his lips, and Leo flushed again, his heart pounding in his chest as the man leaned closer to him. “What can the illustrious Prince Leo do?” His mind was screaming warnings at him as Niles slipped a hand to the back of Leo’s neck, his fingers sliding roughly into his hair. Gods, he knew what the outlaw wanted from him, but Leo couldn’t bring himself to stop it. Niles’ caramel skin was glowing in the glimmering candlelight, and the blue of his eye was still cold as he regarded Leo closely. He was beautiful and he could not force himself to say the words that would cut this short.

Niles kissed him. It was warm and it was rough, and the hand in his hair was gripping the strands tightly as he held Leo’s face and kept him from moving away. His heart was nearly choking him as it leapt into his throat but he did not fight against Niles, who took his acceptance in stride as he wrapped his other arm around Leo’s waist, pulling him closer. He had not kissed anyone romantically before, but he could tell that Niles knew what he was doing as he pressed his tongue into Leo’s mouth, tilting his head to get a better angle.

The skin of his face was getting warm as Niles crawled over him, one leg between Leo’s thighs as he moved his hands to support his body weight over him. Feeling overwhelmed, Leo pressed his hands against Niles’ chest to give himself some distance as his breath came in heavy pants. “What is… what are we…?” he managed to say, trying to find the words to best express his confusion and concern. Niles sat up, though still straddling him, and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I assumed we were going to fuck, Prince Leo,” he said casually, and Leo felt heat rise from his cheeks to his hairline at the brazen phrasing that Niles seemed to enjoy. “Scoundrel I may be, if you are not looking for that, please tell me now so I can go relieve myself otherwise.” His hands were gripping into Niles’ clothes, and he could feel the hard, toned muscles of Niles' stomach through the cloth as he contemplated his options. Despite everything, he could not deny that Niles was beautiful and he could feel an attraction to him, regardless of station or class or his despicable personality. In the last couple weeks, he had grown accustomed to him, and while hatred was inexplicably replaced with a certain fondness, he could not tell himself that this was exactly what he was looking for.

Niles hand was warm as he cupped his cheek and for a moment Leo swore he thought he saw actual affection on his face. The room was quiet and Leo thought the whole castle could hear the sound of his heart beating in his chest. “Niles…” he breathed with uncertainty, and the man nodded shortly, climbing down from Leo’s lap and grabbing his cloak. Leo caught sight of his front and flushed when he realized that Niles was truly looking for sex. A flurry of emotions whirled through Leo’s chest as he watched the man exit the room without another word, closing the door behind him with a slam.

After a moment of laying prone in the bed, Leo sat up slowly and pressed a hand against his bruised lips as he recalled the feeling of Niles pressing his mouth against them. Gods, that was something else. His head was spinning as he stood up from the mattress and headed for the door, though he did not have any idea where he was headed. _To Niles_ , he thought foolishly, his hand lowered down without grasping the doorknob and he stood silently in the middle of the room. His chest was still heaving, his hands shaking, and something in his chest was feeling pained.

Leo did not see Niles again for the remainder of the day and well into the next, and Leo could imagine that he was probably frustrated and disappointed. He formulated apology after apology in his head trying to create the perfect one, though he was not quite sure what he was apologizing for. Time passed slowly as he paced the floor despite his thoughts running away from him at a mile a second, and exhaustion beginning to creep up on him.

 _Only a minute_ , he told himself sleepily as he climbed tiredly into the bed, his eyes feeling heavy as he pressed his hands against his face. Why he wanted to see Niles so badly, he did not know, and did not have the opportunity to dwell on the thoughts as he drifted off to sleep.

A small noise sounded and awoke him, he found himself staring into the darkness groggily, overheating under the blankets. His head ached, and he wanted nothing more than to turn over and go right back to sleep again. As he started to turn, something clutched tightly against his waist, and he realized that he was not sleeping alone in the bed. Startled, he took inventory of himself and was relieved to find that he was still fully dressed, and so was the man that was spooning behind him, completely asleep with Leo in his arms.

Niles’ eyepatch was removed though, his white hair spread across his forehead and draped along Leo’s cheek elegantly. His dark arms were crossed around Leo’s waist, holding him close to his chest as he slept with his breath softly brushing against his neck. It was warm but Leo felt comfortable, and decided that he would not try to move himself from Niles’ arms right then. Perhaps he needed something like this, and Leo was conveniently placed in his bedroom. At that moment, quiet and vulnerable and asleep, Niles was perfect and Leo shifted slightly to face him instead of away, reaching around to cradle his head against his chest.

Something about this felt right, and he couldn’t explain it. He brushed Niles’ hair back from his forehead gently, uncertain of what to do anymore as the day loomed closer and closer that they would be separated by the forces of Nohr that would be coming to rescue Leo.

The following morning he awoke dazedly, his arms empty and the spot beside him in the bed cold for quite some time. Leo stared at the dent in the pillow and stretched his arms above his head, trying to recall his half asleep thoughts from the night before. He distinctly recalled Niles climbing into bed with him, his arms around Leo's waist possessively like they were lovers. He sat up, rubbing one eye with the heel of his palm as he glanced out the window to see that that sun had already risen.

He tossed his legs over the edge of the bed, trying and failing to remember Niles leaving that morning. He accepted that he must have been quite tired to not even have noticed. The pile of books that he had finished was already gone, and he realized that the man must have taken them before he left for the day. He reached for another volume to begin another day of reading to fill the emptiness, though he realized there was only one book when he distinctly recalled there being more. "He must have gotten confused," Leo mused to himself, picking up the narrow tome and trying not to yawn.

"I assume you're awake now, little Prince?" Niles had opened the door without Leo realizing and was posed like a marble statue in the doorway, his arms crossed over his broad chest and a half-smirk across his features. He supposed he had the right to, given that this was his room, but Leo was still vaguely uncertain as to what he should do. "Good, because we are going on a walk."

"A walk?" Leo asked in confusion as he climbed out of bed. His legs felt a little weak, as he had done little since being allowed out of the dungeons except sit in Niles' bed and read. He placed the book down on the end table as Niles ushered him out of the door, but he felt as though he needed time to bath and take care of his appearance before making any public entrances. Though, he could assume that no one here in this company would care much, given the circumstances.

The castle was relatively quiet, and Leo followed Niles' through the corridors and allowed himself to luxury of stretching his legs and moving for more than a couple of feet. His boots sounded dully on the stone and his companion said nothing until they came to a large steel door at the very end of a hallway. He looked to Niles with a quizzical look, and the man pressed his hand against the door with his sultry half smile before pushing it open with ease. It creaked loudly and Leo winced at the sound, but when it finally settled in its hinges, he managed a loud gasp.

The library was large, much larger than he anticipated for such a decrepit and abandoned castle, and the tomes seemed to have stood the test of time in their shelves. Even the cases themselves were in decent condition, though dusty and needing cleaning. Leo realized he had pressed a hand against his chest in his surprise at the sight. "I can't believe so many books are hidden away here and no one ever knew," he murmured, tearing his eyes away from the interior to look at Niles' blue eye. "Can I...?"

Sometimes Niles made it easy to forget that he was a prisoner when he showed him kindness like this, unexpected little gifts that made things feel like they were less uncertain and like he could weather this storm until something changed. "Little Prince, if I had brought you here to look and not yet taste, I would have proposed a different activity." Leo felt the flush creep across his cheeks at the proposition and chose to ignore it instead as he entered the library with Niles at his heels. It was like a totally different world, where he was back at home and nothing was amiss in his life.

The tomes were older even than those in Castle Krakenberg, and he ran his fingers along the weathered and soft spines, the leather worn from much use and not enough care of the tomes. He sighed contentedly and plucked one of the books from the shelf at random, opening to the first page and running his fingers along the runes. He felt a small amount of magical energy in the writing, and it felt like being home again. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes suddenly, and he fought against them as he allowed the images of his family to roll through his mind. His brothers, his sisters, he did truly miss them. "Niles, thank you," he said quietly, pressed the tome against his chest as he turned to look at the man standing behind him.

Niles, with dust floating around him and illuminated by the light from the windows, was ethereal. Leo felt another flush threatening to overtake his skin. He withheld his thoughts and used the book as his buffer, turning back to the bookshelf to pretend he was perusing other titles when he was incredibly aware of Niles so close to him. The warmth of his chest was inches from Leo's shoulder, and he had the overwhelming urge to press his hand against him. He had the inexplicable need to feel his arms around him and to be pressed up against the bookshelves.

He wanted Niles’ mouth against his again. The thought was so strong in his mind that Leo wasn't sure if he wanted to resist it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to AO3 user spidersrorg for being a beta for me on this! Much appreciated! <3


	4. The Bad Beat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am gonna be really busy for the rest of the week into next week so I'm not sure when the next chapter will be done, so here is my offering for now.

**Bad Beat**

_The loss of a pot when holding a very strong hand._

"Anytime I feel as though you are lost to me, Milord, all I have to do is open this door and there you are."

Leo spent nearly every single day in the library, making the trek himself from where he slept in Niles' quarters with ease after the first couple trips of getting lost and finding his way through the enormous castle. But once the way was found, Leo made his way there as often as he could, usually when Niles was about and he was alone. He admitted to himself that he missed when Niles would bring him books, but he also felt a certain level of freedom that he didn’t think he would have to find them himself.

There were so many to read, so many different subjects and time periods and strange words that he had to pick through to make meaning of. He couldn't bring himself to stop, and powered through several in a single day while reading deep into the night. His nose was buried and his back ached from where he sat at the hard wooden table, his legs crossed and his cheek resting against his hand as his eyes darted over the pages.

At the sound of Niles’ voice, he glanced up from his book, and he entered aisle Leo had taken up residence in with a sway of his hips while he walked. “Where else would I go?” Leo asked, raising an eyebrow and snapping his book shut with an air of annoyance. He had lost count of the days that he had spent in this castle and everything seemed to be dragging along, causing him to wonder if there was to be any rescue at all, or if his father had forsaken him. He would not be surprised, as he had allowed himself to be captured. What point would there be in rescuing him, except maybe to retrieve Brynhildr? Being separated from his tome had felt like losing a limb, and he found himself daily reaching for it out of habit.

“An excellent point, as expected from you,” Niles said in amusement, straddling a backwards chair as he peered at the title that Leo had closed onto his lap. Leo watched him through slightly narrowed eyes, trying to understand what he wanted when the man didn't speak again for several minutes.

"Can I assist you?" Leo asked shortly, placing the book down beside him and tilting his head in Niles' direction. The man was watching him like a snack to eat and it made Leo want to look away, but he kept his eyes on the blue one steadfastly. The man was leaning against his arms that were folded over the back of the chair, his heel tapping lightly against the stone floor as he regarded Leo as if appraising him. His hair was slightly tousled, as though he had been outside in the wind or ran his fingers through it recently, and it was somewhat becoming on him to look so disheveled.  
  
Niles smiled. "You seem like you need some assistance more than me, Milord." He stood and kicked the seat aside, causing an alarming bang as it toppled over against the floor. For a second Leo glanced to it in surprise, before he felt a hand fist into his shirt and pull him forward into a rough, hard kiss. Leo couldn't hold in a soft moan as Niles threaded his fingers in his hair, pulling his face close and holding him in place. His hands shook against his thighs, uncertain as to where to put them and how to act in this situation. "You're so tense, little Prince," Niles murmured against his lips and moved to press kisses along his jawline. "Shall we call it a day and retire to my quarters?"  
  
Leo shook his head hard, though he wasn't sure what the right thing to do was. He was caught between decorum and what he wanted; he wanted Niles, he wanted the feeling of being touched and kissed and held. Perhaps because it was Niles, himself. "I..." he said hesitantly, uncertain if he needed to convince himself or Niles, and the man wrapped his arms around Leo's waist, tugging him out of his chair and pressing him against the table. His legs were on either side of Niles' hips and his hands were fisted into Niles’ clothes as the man trailed kisses down Leo’s throat towards the collar of his shirt.  
  
His teeth were biting hard at his skin, leaving stinging trails in their wake and sending sensations of pleasure through him. Without even thinking about it Leo wrapped his legs around Niles' waist, pulling him closer, one hand gripping white hair and the other wrapped around his back. "I’m not picky, here is fine by me, too." Leo found a flush spread across his face as he pulled back from Niles, glaring at him in embarrassment and arousal.  
  
"What if someone sees us?" Leo said as if trying to find an excuse, attempting to move away though the feeling boiling in his stomach was one that he wanted to quench. The man held him tightly, and they met eyes for a long moment before Niles reached between his thighs and cupped his dick through his leggings. Fire burned through his veins and he groaned into Niles' chest, his nails digging into the skin of his shoulder and back at the feeling. His burgundy eyes widened at Niles, staring at him wildly as he laughed at the reaction. His mouth was dry and he felt a level of anxiety rising in his chest as Niles hooked his thumbs into the waist of his leggings, tugging them down a little to indicate what he wanted.  
  
"Isn’t that half the fun?" Niles mused, his mouth devilishly askew, his hands still dragging down the fabric slowly as his calloused fingertips touched the skin of Leo's hips. The feeling left him breathless and his hands shook as he leaned back on the balls on his palms against the stiff wood of the table. He felt the skin on his hands scrape against the splinters and the sting of the tiny wounds kept him grounded, but he could barely resist the look in Niles' eye as the man held Leo in one arm and tugged his pants down to his knees with his free hand.  
  
Leo flushed and threw his arms around Niles' neck, feeling exposed and naked even with his shirt and boots still on. One of Niles' dark hands wrapped around Leo's back to hold him in steady in place and used the other to grasp his ass, causing a deep red flush to spread across Leo's face. A small squeak escaped between his lips as he pressed his face into Niles' shoulder, grasping at his cape tightly. This was new, unusual, nothing like what he had expected. He had expected to do the work, to feel the delicate hands of a woman against his skin and his own body aggressive, taking control. Never did he imagine that this would be the scenario he would find himself in.  
  
Niles moved against him like a methodical dancer with years of experience, his hips between Leo's thighs as he pressed against him. Niles' mouth was searching along his jaw, down his neck, pressing against his chest as his arms wrapped lower on Leo's body until he was sitting down against the table again. Niles’ hands were gripping his thighs as he smiled at him sweetly, and Leo had to try to regain some semblance of control over his breathing before he could gasp, "What are you staring at?"  
  
"The little Prince, finally losing his composure," he purred, crouching down onto the stone tiles as he fit himself between Leo’s knees. His tongue lapped along one of Leo’s thighs teasingly and it caused a jolt in his muscles that he did not expect. He tensed his shoulders as he stared down at the top of Niles’ white hair, biting his lip hard. His nails dug hard into his palms and he felt sweat beading under his bangs though it was freezing in the library. It was a bizarre feeling, to be hot and cold at the same time with strong, sure hands handling him roughly. The deep blue eye met his own and Leo found himself lost in the color and wondering what happened to the one that was missing.  
  
Before the thought continued Niles pressed his lips to the tip of his cock and Leo gasped, the heat burning through his body like the first time Niles put his hands on him. His eyes dropped down to look at Niles, whose face wore the smuggest expression he had ever seen. No sooner had the urge crossed his mind to push the man away did he put his mouth on Leo again, cutting the thought short. Instinctually, his hips rolled and he closed his eyes as Niles dragged his tongue along the length of his dick, his hands gripping against the tender skin of Leo’s thighs.  
  
“N-Niles,” Leo weakly protested, lifting one hand to the white hair before him and lacing his fingers into the strands. He wasn’t certain what he intended to do as Niles’ talented tongue left him breathless, his grip weak against the man’s hair and his eyes closed as he basked in the sensation. He felt a buildup in the pit of his stomach, a curiously heavy and fluttering feeling that he was struggling to contain. With a small chuckle Niles pulled back, a smirk on his lips and his eyebrow tilted knowingly.  
  
“Yes, Prince Leo?” he asked, his voice smooth and deep, and Leo couldn’t seem to calm the heavy breaths that were wracking his chest. There was silence as Leo stared, his face red and his mind reeling with his mouth agape as he tried to convey his thoughts into a sentence of words strung together with purpose, but his voice was lost. “Seeing you speechless is its own kind of reward,” Niles said, and suddenly took Leo into his mouth once more.  
  
An embarrassingly impassioned moan escaped from Leo’s lips as he sat up quickly, both of his hands gripping into Niles’ hair as he ran his tongue along his dick in a way that spoke of experience. The thought of Niles with another man made his hair stand on end, but he couldn’t keep his thoughts from dripping from his mind like fruitlessly trying to cup water in his hands. His head hung back as his eyes closed, Niles’ hands gripping tight onto his thighs, his mouth working miracles. The heat was building up in him, his moaning becoming guttural, his grip on Niles’ hair keeping him in place as his hips jerked upwards.  
  
The noise that he made as he came was a mixture between a scream and a moan, his hands still in place on Niles’ head and his back arching as the feeling shook him to his core. After several moments, Niles stood from his spot where he knelt on the stone, moving Leo’s hands from the top of his head to the table. He used the back of one hand to wipe his mouth before reaching out to grip Leo’s chin with his other. His eyes opened blearily, still shell-shocked, his limbs feeling weak as he watched Niles, whose expression was unreadable. For a moment they stared at each other, before Leo realized he was still half naked and scrambled to pull his pants up to his hips with his mind reeling.  
  
_Did that just really happen?_  
  
The thought was recurring and Leo couldn’t bring himself to look at Niles, a mixture of regret and apprehension rippling through his chest. He’d had so many opportunities to say no, to make him stop, to push him away, but he didn’t take them. He didn’t even try. He encouraged it.  But why? That he could not answer to himself, his head spinning around the fact that he allowed a complete stranger to get closer to him than he had ever allowed anyone else.  
  
A calloused hand cupped his cheek and he was pulled from his thoughts abruptly. Niles gently moved Leo’s face towards at his own with an odd look of fascination and a strange smile that Leo could not decipher. Against his better judgment, Leo leaned against the hand, his head awhirl with confused thoughts that he did not wish to confront. “Back to my watch, Milord.” Before Leo could reply, Niles was already heading for the door, leaving him in the dimly lit library alone.  
  
Leo bit his lip, his hands slightly shaking as he leaned forward, staring at the spot in the doorway where Niles disappeared. After taking a moment, he swallowed hard and climbed down from the table, hurrying towards the door and catching sight of the edge of Niles’ cape fluttering around a corner. He was heading out towards the stairs that led to one of the battlements, where Leo knew he kept watch. With a deep breath he followed along, not wanting this encounter to end so abruptly.  
  
The stairs were daunting, but Niles must have already scaled them because Leo did not catch sight of him as he entered the stairwell. He followed them up, hand against the wall as it grew darker to guide him as he hadn’t the foresight to grab a candle from the library, and finally reached the opening at the top. The moonlight was illuminating the scene, and Niles stood with his back to him, arms crossed over his chest and watching over the edge of the battlement distractedly. Leo did not make himself known right away, but his hands were placed on either side of the trapdoor with the intent to pull himself up.  
  
“Going to stand there awhile and admire the view, little Prince?” His voice was full of mirth and Leo frowned in annoyance, hoisting himself up and walking self-assuredly over to where Niles stood, his boots loud in the silent of the night. It was chilly and Leo folded his arms behind his back as he stood next to Niles, a thousand questions on the tip of his tongue and no courage to pose any of them.  
  
He ran his tongue along his dry mouth, trying to phrase something but instead Niles turned to look at him from where he had been staring at the horizon. “What happened to your eye?” he said suddenly, the first thought as he regarded Niles’ face sounding instead of something more polite.  
  
Niles chuckled and reached up to remove the leather eyepatch that was tied across his face. A scar was visible from where Leo stood and without even thinking about it, he reached up and placed a hand against Niles’ face, his thumb resting where the scar began under his eyelid. “It was carved out by a mercenary when I was a child,” he replied easily, pressing a kiss against Leo’s wrist where it rested near his mouth. He did not move his hand away. “On the streets, if you cross the wrong people no matter what your age, there are consequences.”  
  
“I see,” Leo said, uncertain of how to respond.  
  
Niles grasped his wrist and removed his hand from his face, giving him a cautious look before retying his eyepatch. “But I doubt the Prince of Nohr has experienced such strife, I won’t bother you with my dreary past.”  
  
Leo frowned. “You know little of life inside the castle.”  
  
“What is there to know? You are a pampered, spoiled Prince, along with the other princesses and princes living there. Your father is King, and who would dare to try to cause discomfort to him or his own?” There was a snide grin on Niles’ face, and Leo suddenly realized he was jesting, for a Nohrian prince himself stood there in clothes several sizes too large, very far away from the comforts of the castle, having bathed very little the last several weeks, and eaten less than he was accustomed to. In a way, the situation was rather humorous, though Leo was far from joining Niles in his joke.  
  
He snapped, “That may be so, but I have seen my fair share of avarice and bloodshed and death in my life, outside of the battlefield. When your mother has to use you as a bargaining tool to gain favor with your father, when your sister has to use her own body to shield you from certain death, when you have to fight amongst your half siblings to even be worthy of a life as a prince. To prove you can wield a weapon meant for greatness.” He was talking more than he ever expected, his hands clenched tightly behind his back as he turned away from Niles, a frown on his face as he regarded the starry sky. The memories of his childhood were dark and grim, and much of it was bathed in anguish. “There are many brands of suffering, what matters is how we come out on the other side.”  
  
Niles watched him quietly, a hand placed against his hip as he leaned against the battlement with his head cocked. “You are much different than I had anticipated, Milord,” he said, though his tone did not indicate whether he meant it as a compliment or not. Leo could honestly say he did not care, though that Niles said it at all was curious to him.  
  
“In the library, why did you do that?” Leo asked, turning away from Niles should the flush on his cheeks give him away. It was obvious Niles was well aware of what he was doing and Leo had not stopped it, and all of the uncertainty that accompanied it ate away at him. He wanted answers.  
  
“Because I wanted to.” The answer was pointed, but less cloaked in sexual overtones than Leo would have expected. Niles stepped towards him until they were less than arm's reach of each other, and he dipped his head slightly so he was close to eye level with Leo, his mouth upturned into a little smirk. “You are certainly much different than I anticipated, Prince Leo, and I mean that well. You did not have to tell me that my men were plotting against me, you’ve had many opportunities to cause me harm or foolishly try to escape. You are endlessly fascinating to me. You are someone that I have never met before and I undoubtedly will never meet anyone like you again. There is a level of attraction there, and I acted upon it.”  
  
His mouth was slightly agape at the speech and his brows were furrowed, as he had not expected so frank an answer. This type of attention was almost embarrassing, but he did not allow it to show on his face as he met Niles’ eye, wondering how he should respond. “You are not the type of criminal I had anticipated to be associating with, Niles.” Niles released a bark of laughter, something that Leo had grown almost fond of, and stood up straight until his chest stopped shaking heartily. He put a hand on the back of Leo’s head, drawing him in closer until their noses were brushing.  
  
“I did not hear you tell me to stop, so I imagine there’s something here you like, Milord.” Leo grimaced but he could not deny it as he watched the moonlight spill onto his face and hair. Niles was beautiful, that was certain, but Leo could not justify even to himself why he allowed the library incident to continue to completion, and could not find reason why he had chased after him once he left. The whole thing was absurd, this entire situation was completely unreasonable, but Leo couldn’t piece together the puzzle into any meaningful answer.  
  
So he pressed their lips together in lieu of a reply, and Niles reciprocated in kind, wrapping his arms around Leo.  
  
Leo woke up the next day alone, his clothes askew and his hair tousled from rough sleep. Save for several pieces of silver hair on the pillow, there was no sign that the man had been there at all, and Leo found his heart wallowing in the pit of his stomach. They had not done anything further in bed than kissing, but even that, coupled with the library scene had been more than Leo had ever experienced before. And with someone like Niles…  
  
The following several days Leo saw nothing of Niles no matter how hard he looked. He was not foolhardy enough to spend much time outside of the room or the library, though even if he stayed up through the night and slept hardly a second during the day, the man did not return as far as he knew. Leo could feel the anxiety coursing through his chest, wondering why Niles would put his hands on him in such a way and then intentionally avoid him for days at a time.  
  
It was absurd how it was keeping him up at night. The way Niles looked at him before they fell asleep that night, something that he couldn’t recognize but wanted to see again. It spoke of something that Niles was keeping to himself, whether a secret or some kind of unwarranted emotion, Leo could not tell. He overthought it constantly, he thought about what Niles saw in him, if it were purely physical or not.  
  
Leo couldn’t believe that he was still moping on the evening of the third day, wanting to talk to Niles but having no idea where he was. He had tried, certainly, to locate him but had no luck, as the only places he could safely get to were devoid of his presence every single time he arrived. It was becoming increasingly frustrating and Leo was beginning to lose his determination to discover what may have happened.  
  
He stared down hard at his boots as he left the library with a book in hand, his thoughts spinning uncertainly through his mind. “Oh, there’s our special guest,” someone sneered and Leo nearly dropped the book, startled, and turned to see who had spoken. A group of five or six of the mercenaries were leaning against the wall of the corridor immediately to the left of the entrance to the library, watching him in mixed expressions of amusement and disgust. Leo squared himself up to create an air of confidence and he examined them with a glare. “Niles’ been letting you get away with a lot. More’n any of us would’ve.”  
  
Leo replied sharply, “I suppose that’s why he’s the one in charge then. Obviously, he has more sense than the rest.” The group laughed raucously at that comment and began to advance on Leo, who stood his ground as they shoved him against the hard stone wall behind him. The book dropped from his hands and he sized up the men around him, swallowing hard. If he had Brynhildr he would have made short work of them, but for now, all he had was his own two hands and his head.  
  
“Niles thinks with his cock, more’n anything. I bet the little prince ain’t gonna be worth the same to the king now,” the same man said with a laugh, reaching out to grab Leo’s chin, his cheeks squished between the man’s fingers. He twisted Leo’s face this way and that, and he felt like he was being reviewed like a slab of meat at the butcher. After a moment of that he jerked his chin away in irritation, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, his mind spinning a mile a minute trying to think of a way safely out of this.  
  
As he thought, one of the men reached out and grabbed his arm, and instinctively he pulled away and punched as hard as he could.  
  
The shorter man let out a shout, grasping his face as blood spewed from his nose, falling backwards onto his ass in surprise. Leo ignored the pain in his knuckles as the tallest mercenary laughed, stopping the rest of the men from getting their retribution. “Niles likes ‘em feisty,” he said with a tilt of his head, and Leo kept his distance, his bruised hand still raised in case he needed to defend himself.  
  
Without warning, a hand gripped around Leo’s throat and he was shoved hard against the wall, the breath knocked from his lungs, his feet inches from the ground as he gripped at the wrist that threatened to kill him. He choked, an eye squeezed shut in pain and his breath coming in scattered gasps as he tried to free himself uselessly. He was not physically weak, but he was certainly not strong enough against a trained mercenary with nothing to lose. “I bet our Niles has already had his way with you, jus’ like ev’ry other pretty boy and girl that’s crossed paths with ‘im. Whether they want it or not.”  
  
Leo felt the unease blossom even stronger in his chest even in spite of the situation, but his mind was fading away as he began to black out. His grip loosened on the wrist of the dark haired mercenary and just before could fade into unconsciousness, the hand on his throat let go and dropped him suddenly. Leo expected the hard stone but found himself roughly caught with an arm around his shoulders and he saw Niles, looking deathly serious, his gaze still fixed away from Leo towards the mercenary. He stared for a moment, before he realized there was deep red stains on his face and clothes and hair, and Leo managed to twist his head to stare at the man who had just tried to kill him.  
  
There was an arrow sticking out of him, square in the chest, and the man was buckled in on himself on the ground, gurgling blood as it spewed from his mouth. From that angle, there was no way Niles used a bow to shoot that arrow, he must have stabbed it into the mercenary himself. The thought made Leo’s mind spin and he grunted softly, his head throbbing and his throat feeling battered. Niles glanced down at him momentarily before shoving his other arm under his knees, lifting him up and Leo didn’t even have the energy to protest such an indignity. The small gathered crowd grew silent as Niles regarded them. “If anyone else would like to take a shot at murdering our meal ticket, please feel free to sign your death wish now,” he said lightly, not a hint of jest in his face despite his tone.  
  
Leo wanted to object, but his weak limbs and fluttering thoughts left him useless. _Their meal ticket, huh?_ he thought to himself, his face tucked into the deep blue cloth of Niles’ cape as he closed his eyes against the light glaring in from the decrepit ceiling. Of course, what else would he be? Niles wouldn’t be keeping him here for anything other than what he was worth, what he could milk out of Leo’s family, and after that he might as well be a corpse. This whole affair was a foolish venture, regardless of Niles’ intentions, Leo meant little more than a warm body. There was nothing deeper than that. That’s why Leo could not find anything, because it did not exist.  
  
There was silence as Niles began to move, Leo still aloft in his arms and neither of them said anything, alone in their thoughts. Leo could feel Niles’ heartbeat against his ear and the sound was rapid but soothing, like the strong grip he had on Leo as they ascended a set of stairs. He finally found that he could breathe normally again, though the pain in his throat as he swallowed was concerning. A door slammed and he realized that Niles had kicked it open just as he was placing Leo gingerly on the bed that he had been so used to sleeping and reading in. A hand touched his face, and Leo’s eyes opened to see Niles was inches away, concern and fury so apparent on his face it was startling. “Niles?” Leo croaked and tried to clear his throat, though it was painful.  
  
“You’re alive.” It wasn’t a question, but the note of relief in his voice was confusing. Leo nodded slowly and pressed a hand against his forehead as he squeezed his eyes shut.  
  
“Yes, your meal ticket lives another day,” he said shortly, ignoring his heart as Niles retracted his hand from Leo’s face quickly as if burned and refused to open his eyes to see the man’s expression. This man was a known thief, liar, and cutthroat. Leo could not trust anything he said or did as genuine, he could not allow his feelings to supersede his mind. No matter how much time they’d spent together, how intimate Niles behaved with him, Leo needed to keep his head on straight. He could not let his guard down now.  
  
There were several beats of silence. “Indeed,” Niles said softly, so much so that Leo wondered if he was even intended to hear it. When he finally opened his eyes, Leo realized that Niles was already gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to spidersrorg for Beta!


	5. The Royal Flush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic just keeps getting longer without my permission so, there will genuinely be one more chapter after this, an epilogue. Ta-da!

**Royal Flush**

_An Ace-high straight flush; the best possible poker hand._

Leo had not seen Niles since the incident. Food would show up at random intervals in the room, but Niles himself was nowhere to be found, once again. The thought pained him more than he had expected, but he could not bring himself to try to locate him. Especially not after the last time, when things had gone so sour. Ever since, he did not traverse to the library during the day in case of an encounter with the other mercenaries, and only did so cautiously at night.

But the days were dragging on, and he was finding himself more and more in a position where he needed to just... escape. He couldn't allow himself to rot away here, no matter how much he wanted to see Niles again, and found himself carefully hoarding the provisions that were provided to him for his foray into the unknown. He had been doing more in the library than just reading for fun; he had used the information that he had gathered to finally pinpoint his location.

He was in the southernmost part of Nohr, nearly out of the country and as far from the capital as one could get. The maps were old and outdated, but they were enough for him to know where he had to escape to. He was nervous as he had never traversed so far on foot and he knew he would have to leave his armor behind, should he find it and Brynhildr. He would be close to vulnerable but there was no choice; he couldn't sit around here like a hostage forever. Niles seemed to have forsaken him and there was no reason left to stay.

It was dark when he found himself with a small pack venturing into the castle as quietly as he dared. He had carefully memorized the patrol schedule and moved through the corridors in accordance. His heart was pounding in his chest as he avoided the open windows with moonlight pouring through, and he took the winding path back down to the cells where he first stayed.

Brynhildr must be here somewhere.

There was no need for anyone to guard an empty dungeon, Leo thought as he entered the tall wooden doors that led to the steep stone staircase. He would not have to be as careful in here as he was traversing through the castle. Still, he kept a vigilant eye on the shadows, not allowing himself to let his guard down just yet, not until he safely had his tome back in his hand where it belonged.

The wind made a whistling sound as it whipped outside, and Leo dreaded the moment he would be forced to traverse across the country alone in hopes of finding aid. The Royal family wasn't exactly popular and Leo was not sure how easily he would be able to return home. Asking for aid from those in the nearby towns could lead to something even more treacherous than his position here,

But return he must. He missed it. He could admit that without any shame. Though not the dreary, drafty castle. No.

He missed Elise's smiles and angelic laughter, the way she grasped his hands when she was excited to show him something she had learned. He missed her sweet voice as she scolded him or their siblings for something silly, how her cheeks puffed out in annoyance and tinted slightly red.

He missed Corrin's happy smile when she saw him walk into a room, and the way she would bring a book to his attention that she had been reading from the library to discuss with him simply because she assumed he must have already read it. He missed her soft embraces when he felt as though he couldn't compare, though in so many words he knew she couldn't have been aware of the depth of his feelings, she wanted to help anyway.

He missed Camilla's warmth and maternal care, the way she doted on him and treated him with such love and affection. He missed sparring with her and finding reason to spend time with her, and he missed the knowing smiles she gave him when they spoke about things that he refused to tell anyone else.

Perhaps most of all, he missed his brother Xander. Xander, with his stoic expressions and calm demeanor, his polite tones but playful attitude when regarding his younger siblings. He missed talking strategy and ruling, he missed discussing their people's problems and how they would fix it once Xander was king. Leo missed them all so much he could hardly bear it. And he wanted more than anything to be home with them, where he belonged.

In his mind, he even found himself missing Niles.

He had only known the man what was probably a month, though he didn’t have an accurate measure of how much time had passed since his capture. But his experience in the castle could have been so much worse had Niles had not taken him under his protection; what sort of kidnapper did such a thing? Even despite their first moments together, when Niles had tried to accost him in the cell before he had overheard his cohorts planning their coup, the following days were the opposite

Niles had helped him, he had made sure he was comfortable despite being captive, he had kept him safe away from the rest of the mercenaries for the most part, and most of all… well Leo couldn’t quite sort out the feeling in his chest for Niles. It was that night in the library, it was the soft kisses on the battlement, it was the carefully chosen books, and the evenings spent with Niles asleep beside Leo.

It was his restless expression calming as soon as Leo pressed his hands to Niles’ back, holding him against his chest to sooth the bad dreams. It was the days spent eating together, evenings laughing together, while they waited for something to happen once the letter to his family was sent. Leo could not fathom leaving here without Niles, no matter what now. There was something keeping him rooted in the castle until he found those two important things.

Brynhildr.

And Niles.

He felt such a painful longing in his heart that he could not quell, and allowed it to push him through the cold, damp dungeon in his quest to find the legendary tome. It was difficult to see very far, even with the candle he had stolen from the room, and he was careful as he passed the dark cells. Every shadow leaped out at him like a thief in the night, and every time he nearly jumped out of his skin like he had been caught by one of the mercenaries. It was a little embarrassing, but he couldn't falter now.

Leo had slowed to a stop through the dungeons, his heart frantic in his chest that had nothing to do with his previously brisk pace. He had not realized he was standing still, his hands shaking as he stared down at the cracked and mossy stones.

"The little Prince has finally arrived," a voice said with a mirthless chuckle, and he spun around quickly before he realized he already knew exactly who had spoken. He looked terrible, Leo realized, and he was tucked away into a closed cell. There was blood caked on his face, his lip obviously split but slightly healing. It must have happened a couple of days ago, and Leo finally realized that Niles must have been down here all the time he thought the man had abandoned him. Shame grasped him at that moment, and he swallowed hard against the feelings for now; he could have a moment to feel badly later.

With a soft intake of breath, Leo darted across the corridor to him and placed his hands on the bars to the cell after putting the candle on the ground near their feet. Niles was certainly worse for the wear the closer he got, with red blossomed across his tunic, bruises lining his chest, and he was missing his eyepatch and bow. “What happened to you?” Leo demanded in little over a whisper, trying to get a better look at the man before him. Niles tilted his head at Leo, his only eye looking over him in what seemed like relief.

“They got the best of ol’ Niles, I’m afraid,” he replied dramatically with a flick of his hand, motioning to his dilapidated state. “But I see that you are still all right.” His voice was too careful for Leo to pick any emotion from it, but he didn’t want to waste more time. He grasped Niles’ hand and grimaced; there was no way he could leave the man there, he would be killed or left to die. The thought of a dead Niles left a cold ache in his chest.

Leo said, “I will get you out of here.”

Niles laughed harshly, his tone almost cruel. “The ‘meal ticket’ should not be putting his life on the line for me.” Leo flushed, the words burning in his chest, and he felt the same hurt and anger that he had felt before. They regarded each other silently, Niles with a dark frown and Leo with uncertainty. He had forgotten, in his haste, about those words. All he could think was that he wanted to see Niles again, wanted him to be safe.

“Niles…”

“Prince Leo, listen to me.” His words were biting and cold, and they cut through like a knife. “This is your chance to be rid of this place, to go and never return. There is no need for you to waste your efforts on me, I am not worth it.” For a moment, Leo considered it. He considered finding his tome and hurrying away without looking back, leaving Niles for good. But the thought was absurd. Leo stared at him hard.

Leo shook his head. “You’re an idiot.” Everything that had happened since their meeting fell into place around him, his head was awhirl as he considered the puzzle, the enigma that was Niles. “Do not take me for a fool, or for one to make decisions lightly.” Leo’s voice was more commanding than he had anticipated, but it had the desired result of rendering Niles silent. “I am not leaving here without you.”

He wasn’t sure what possessed him to wear his heart so clearly on his sleeve, but he couldn’t more accurately express his intentions. Niles looked like he wanted to argue, but Leo could not care any less about what he had to say on the matter. He reached through the bars and pulled the man forward by his tunic, bringing their mouths together between the rusted iron pipes. The presence of blood was still strong on his mouth, and the rust taste followed him as he moved away. “Do I sense a hint of untold feelings in your words, Milord?” There was no bite to Niles’ question at all this time, and Leo felt he could detect a hint of curiosity, or perhaps a longing, behind them.

“Tell me how I can free you,” he replied, choosing not to address Niles’ allegations as he glanced around the dark dungeons with the tiny light from his candle as his only guide. He leaned down to pick up the candle and Niles sighed heavily.

“At the far end of the corridor, near where you entered, you will find a rack of old keys. The third from the left will be the one you need.” Leo did not ask how he knew but took off running, his boots thudding against the stone and reverberating through the empty dungeons. He was surprised that no one was keeping watch, but he took it in stride as he found himself near the beginning where he started. The candle was dying, but he could just make out the rusted keys. He counted them and grabbed the appropriate one before hurrying back to the cell.

He opened the door quickly and Niles stretched his arms as he walked through the entrance. “I never imagined in my life that notoriously cold and stoic Prince Leo of the Nohrian royal family would be saving my life,” he said with a laugh, reaching out to grasp Leo’s chin and peck his lips with his own, leaving Leo longing for more. “Or that it would be acceptable for me to kiss him in thanks.” Leo tugged his face away in an annoyed huff, crossing his arms over his chest after Niles took the candle from him.

“It’s time, we must depart,” Leo insisted, motioning away from the dungeons. “Where did you place Brynhildr, my tome, when you took me in? We must retrieve it.” Before Niles could explain, there were the sounds of several heavy sets of footsteps, and the dungeons were illuminated with many torches that were crowded together.

“There’s the prince,” someone said, and Leo whipped around but Niles was nowhere to be found. After a long, horrified moment, Leo sighed and allowed himself to be grasped by the group, knowing that he had little other choice but to be shoved back into a cell again. Even as they were locking him in, he saw no sign of Niles, and he realized that the man had left him to his fate. His candle was gone, the night was dark, and the cot he had to lay on was cold and empty without Niles.

Leo tried his best to stay awake, but the uneasiness and the exertion from the day lulled him to sleep.

 

\---

 

A loud crash sounded and he felt as though the castle was falling about around him as he shot awake, startled and half asleep. He was alone in the cell as dust fell to the ground from the stone ceiling, and he twisted himself around on the cot to look out the tiny barred window to see what was happening. Leo gasped loudly as he witnessed the enormous army that was across the field from the castle, bearing the banner of Nohr in black and gold and purple.

Wyverns flew above the ground troops, and he wondered vaguely if one of them was his sister, though he knew that was rather unlikely. Across the field, in front of the abandoned castle, the mercenaries and vagabonds were readying their weapons, though as far as Leo could see, they were incredibly outnumbered and outclassed.

Who on earth had organized this rescue mission? He could not fathom the answer as angry sparks exploded across the battlefield towards the castle, causing the ground to rumble again and Leo to hop out of the filthy cot. Certainly, the entirety of the group would be outside the castle to defend against the royal army, and he should be free to search for Brynhildr and his armor, if he could find a way to escape the cell. He moved towards the door, shaking it for good measure, though it did not budge as he tried to shove it open.

He cursed, kicking the bars angrily before looking around for something that he could use. The cell was bare, with little debris and other bits of foliage but nothing he could use to his advantage. He paced back and forth across the cracked stone, his hands shaking as he tried to calm himself enough to think properly. He couldn’t let whoever was across the field fight alone, no matter how outshone the mercenaries seemed. He needed to help, he needed to be there to do something, anything to assist. He pressed his forehead against the bars, his hands gripping the iron tightly as he closed his eyes.

“Niles,” he said with a sigh, wondering where the man had run off to. Being divided felt heart wrenching, and Leo pressed a hand against his chest, clutching at the fabric of the tunic that belonged to the thief. He knew he was being ridiculous, Niles had certainly fled and left him alone the first second that he had the chance.

A voice chuckled and Leo snapped his head up, grazing his forehead on the bars as he saw the sharp blue gaze under white fringe. “My, my, I never thought my name would pass your lips so sweetly out of the bedroom, Milord. It’s almost as though you’ve fallen for me.” Leo said nothing, his mouth pressed into a tight line, the truth of the words reverberating in his chest as he tried to find a biting remark to spit back and coming up with nothing. For a moment Niles seemed expectant, but when Leo did not dispute his words, his hands dropped to his sides, his mouth slightly agape as his brows knit together.

“Now is not an appropriate time to be discussing this,” Leo said, terse, his eyes narrowing very slightly as he kept the flush on his face at bay successfully. Niles strode over to the cell, wrapping a hand around one of Leo’s tightly before he could move, and caressed his face through the bars. His hand was warm and calloused but to Leo it felt like home. A spark ignited in his chest and he stared up at Niles, who watched him silently. “I thought you would be far away by now”

He chuckled. “I could not leave without you, Milord.” Niles turned from him and knelt in front of the cell door, reaching into one of his various pouches that he must have retrieved and began to fiddle with the lock. Leo watched as Niles worked meticulously, though he could not mask his surprise when he heard the click of the lock opening. “Make haste,” Niles said cautiously, pointing him in the direction that led further into the dungeons and, Leo thought, more than likely towards what he needed.

With little effort he kicked the door the rest of the way open and made his way down a long hall away from Niles, adrenaline pumping through his veins as the sounds of battle echoes in his ears. It had been several weeks since his last fight, and something in him was itching to use Brynhildr again after ages of not using any magic at all. He glanced in each cell as he passed, though there was no one else being held down here save for himself and Niles.

Leo searched the dungeons fruitlessly, his frustrations growing as he was unable to locate his tome or his armor anywhere. “Gods be damned,” he shouted angrily as he pushed open several wooden boxes, the ground shaking and nearly toppling a stack of crates over on top of him. How difficult could it be to locate one book and a set of armor? There was no guarantee it was here, but Leo thought that it must be.

After prying open another crate and ignoring the bleeding under his fingernails, he chewed the inside of his mouth for a moment before closing his eyes. His breathing slowed, and he let his mind reach out to feel the magic that would be in the atmosphere from the tome. A purple light glowed to his left, and he spun around to the crate and uncovered Brynhildr and his armor haphazardly thrown inside.

Leo grimaced as he lifted his armor into his hands and he knew that he would not be able to get it on alone. But, at that moment, given the circumstances, he could not waste any time. “Milord, could you use a hand?” He spun around and saw Niles leaning against the wall behind him, his bow in hand from wherever it had been stashed after his capture. “Not that I would expect to be dressing you, I’d prefer quite the opposite.” Leo rolled his eyes but he was surprised that he had returned, and placed Brynhildr back down into the crate.

“As quickly as you please,” he replied and Niles was already upon him. Leo did not know where he learned to dress a man in armor, but he was deft and practiced with his hands as one would expect from a skilled thief. It was strange to be fully dressed again, with Brynhildr back in his possession, and he summoned magic into his hands with a satisfied smirk. Gods, he felt good, he felt whole, and he nodded to himself before turning to look at the archer that was by his side. Niles eyes were drawn to Leo, and for the first time since they met, it seemed as though he could not stop staring at the prince instead of the other way around.

“Niles, as of today, I am recruiting you to fight for the side of Nohr,” he stated, the words tumbling from his mouth before he could truly think, his expression collected and stately as he could muster under the circumstances. “You will be my personal retainer, until death parts us. You will have my protection, a place to lay your head, and food to eat. Any previous transgressions will be forgiven, all that I ask is your loyalty, and your arrow, in my name.”

With a devilish smirk, Niles said, “That sounds like a lifetime commitment, Lord Leo. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that level of dedication.” Leo wanted to argue, he wanted to convince him of the merits of accepting such a position, but before he could say anything, Niles laughed. “But, it sounds fun and job security is certainly difficult to find these days.” He knelt before Leo, taking a hand in his own and pressed his lips to one of the plates of armor on his hand. “Consider me yours,” he murmured, and Leo felt his heart jump at the tone in his voice.

Before he could say anything more, the castle shook again and he met eyes with Niles.

They headed towards the main entrance. The other man was faster and less encumbered by armor, but Leo had magic on his side. The door had already been forced open as the mercenaries were being pushed back into the interior away from the fighting.

Leo could see blood was smeared across the bricks, and many men were already dead or dying on the ground before him. “I must get through,” he called to Niles who nodded, and strode towards Leo with certain steps.

Before he could say anything, Niles took Leo into his arms, armor and all, and pulled him into a deep kiss that rendered him completely silent. It was several moments before Niles released him, and Leo felt dazed, their faces still close enough to see the details in each other’s eyes.

With a smirk, Niles stepped back away from Leo and he turned to scale a nearby ornamental pillar, climbing to the top with ease. Leo watched him in amazement, and trusted his aim was true with his bow. He opened Brynhildr, the spark of purple electricity igniting his veins.

“Let us begin,” Leo said with a smile, the buzzing of Niles’ lips on his own fueling him as he summoned his energy to attack the nearest group of men with fire blazing from his fingers.

The sudden screams attracted the attention of the mercenaries who began to curse, one of them shouting, “I didn’t sign up to fight all four of ‘em!”

Leo’s magic encompassed himself as the crowd parted in fear, avoiding the lines of electricity as they whipped around him. He felt his hair raise with the power of the magic he was exuding, and his tome was glowing as brightly as he had ever seen it. Such a feeling of fighting was sorely missed, and the exhilaration could be seen on Leo’s face.

“The prince has his book!” someone else screamed, and many of the mercenaries dropped their weapons and cowered in surrender as the brunt of the Nohrian army finally made contact with the small outlaw force in front of the castle. Leo made his way through the destroyed foyer of the castle, avoiding the stones in the pathway as he finally walked through the front doors with no fear. He was free.

“Leo!” a familiar voice shouted and he turned to see a Wyvern land heavily behind him with his purple haired sister astride. “Oh, Leo, you’re all right!” Her voice was filled with worry and he saw Beruka land behind her, watching Camilla’s back as she climbed down and hurried towards him. Camilla wrapped her brother in her arms, one cheek pressed against the top of his head and she clung tightly to him. He was surprised to see her and patted her back awkwardly, though it was not an unwelcome rescue.

The fighting calmed down around them as more of the mercenaries surrendered.

He pulled away from his sister and saw the pale visage of Xander atop his steed trotting towards him, even his stern face awash with relief. “Brother,” Leo murmured, and Xander nodded at him calmly before looking over his head at the group surrounded by the remainder of the army. Many were dead or dying, and they were left strewn about the battlefield with limbs askew or missing, blood draining from them. Those who were alive were corralled against one of the castle walls, their weapons confiscated.

He looked amongst those that were there and realized he did not see a notable head of white hair among them, and turned around to try to locate him. He swallowed hard, trying to keep the worst thoughts from his head when after several moments he still could not spot Niles anywhere in the vicinity. He had fought for Leo, he had saved his life more than once, and he did not deserve to die here in this pit of despair on his account.

Especially not on his account.

“Got one more!” a voice called out, and he saw Charlotte dragging a body along behind her towards the group. He did not seem to be moving, and his face was caked with dirt and blood from fighting. His bow was in Charlotte’s hand, though it did not seem that she was injured at all.

“Niles!” Leo moved quickly to Charlotte and gripped her wrist until she dropped the man to the ground, and he did not move once he fell. She shouted in surprise and frowned, her face skewed into a confused expression that Leo could not appease just then. “Please,” he ordered desperately to her. “Please, find Elise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to spidersrorg for the beta!


End file.
